For Referring Professionals

Eligibility for Supervised Access

We accept cases where:

• There is a history of, or allegations of partner abuse, and/or where there is an ongoing threat of abuse
• There is a history of, or allegations of physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse of the child or where there is a fear of such abuse occurring
• There are concerns regarding parenting ability, which pose a threat to the safety of the child if the contact were not supervised
• The visiting parent has been absent from the child for a lengthy period of time and the opportunity to reestablish a relationship in a safe, supportive setting is required
• The visiting parent has a history of mental health problems
• The visiting parent has a history of alcohol and/or drug abuse
• There are concerns regarding abduction or a threat of abduction
• The animosity and mistrust between the parents is so great that access becomes very difficult to exercise
• Continuity of access has been problematic or denied

We reserve the right to decline or refuse cases, cancel or terminate visits if any of the following occurs:

• A violation of the service agreement
• Parents decide to withdraw from our services for their own reasons
• The visiting parent misses three consecutive visits or a pattern of inconsistent visits emerges
• A parent arrives late for their visit or exchange
• The visiting parent arrives under the influence of alcohol
• Parents do not provide required personal information or fail to sign the necessary documents
• A Children’s Aid Society becomes involved in the case
• When the children are Crown Wards
• When we conclude there are safety risks we cannot manage

Content of Court Order

Court orders should clarify all the terms and conditions of access:

• Number of hours per visit and number of visits per week  
• Type of access, supervised exchange or supervised visit
• Name of parents responsible for paying program fees
• Name of authorized visitors

Bail Order Conditions

Our supervised access centres will not provide service if a parent’s bail condition states that he/she should not have direct or indirect access to the child.  

In order for our centres to provide service, the bail condition must be modified to read words to the effect that the parent cannot have direct or indirect access to the child except for supervised access.

Summoning our Staff as Witnesses

Please contact our Program Director prior to sending the summons to our staff.  This would allow us to ascertain the summoned staff member’s availability on the required day.

Summons must be served in person with the appropriate conduct fee. Please note that once paid, summons fees are non-refundable, whether the court appearance takes place or not.

We require adequate notice of court attendance in order to prepare.

Cases in which Children’s Aid Society (CAS) may be involved

It is our policy not to provide supervised access to children in CAS care or when there is an ongoing investigation.

Office of Children’s Lawyer (OCL)

Sharing of client information

Our staff will not discuss client information on the telephone, though exceptions may be made with the Program Director’s explicit authorization.

Visit observation

In order for the OCL to observe a visit, they must contact the Program Coordinator to make arrangements in advance.

OCL must provide SEC with consent forms from both parents and our Supervised Access staff must be present during the visit.

Copies of our observation reports may be obtained by following the procedures outlined under Observation Reports.